$1M windfall sprouts for Jasper County pine tree farmer

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

ATLANTA – The excitement is growing for one Jasper County farmer who won a hefty prize from the Georgia Lottery. Joseph Forbes of Monticello won a $1 million top prize playing the new instant game $1,000,000 Grand Casino.

Forbes, who harvests 240 acres of pine trees, intends to purchase a new tractor with his windfall.

“I want to pay off bills and go deer hunting,” he said.

Georgia Lottery representatives presented Forbes with an oversized check Monday at Larry’s Four Way, located at 9160 Highway 212 W. in Monticello, where he purchased the lucky ticket.

“I was in disbelief like I was reading it wrong,” said Forbes, 58. “Then, it kind of hit me like, ‘Yeah it was right!’”

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $13.6 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.4 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.1 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.